Sebastian Thru, Udacity CEO and co-founder .
Sebastian Thrun, cofounder and CEO of Udacity, says more AI is coming to online education, but we’ll still need humans to grade our English essays.
Community colleges go open source to seek fix for remediation
Bossier Parish Community College in Louisiana.
One of the thorniest problems facing higher education is remedial education. Some community colleges have found a way to dial-up free online courses to help tackle the problem. The two-year colleges aren’t offering massive open online courses as substitutes for their offerings, however, or for the instructors who teach them.
Continue reading… “Community colleges go open source to seek fix for remediation”
Injectable ‘smart sponge’ for controlled insulin delivery
The sponge-like matrix surrounds a reservoir of insulin or other drugs.
A new drug delivery technique has been developed by researchers for the treatment of diabetes in which a sponge-like material surrounds an insulin core.
Continue reading… “Injectable ‘smart sponge’ for controlled insulin delivery”
Every Disaster Has a Beginning: In Search of Anomaly Zero
Futurist Thomas Frey: In 2012, when 15-year old Jack Andraka’s uncle died of pancreatic cancer, he decided to look into it. He found that the current test for pancreatic cancer was over 60 years old, cost over $800, and wasn’t very reliable.
Continue reading… “Every Disaster Has a Beginning: In Search of Anomaly Zero”
Adding more artificial intelligence to online learning could make it faster and more fun
More artificial intelligence will make online learning faster and fun.
Udacity has evolved the MOOC (massive open online courses) concept into one that really helps people throughout the course; to complete the course. The most recent completion rates in pilots we’ve been running have been 85 percent, as opposed to 5 percent or 4 percent, which is common in MOOC-land.
CIA investigates geoengineering to fix climate
The US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is late to the geoengineering party, at least compared to its British counterpart. But it has now arrived, with an influential friend in tow: the CIA.
Continue reading… “CIA investigates geoengineering to fix climate”
Tesla’s Model S factory is run by 160 high-tech robots
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_lfxPI5ObM[/youtube]
The conceptual Hyperloop transit system by Elon Musk imagines shuttling passengers back and forth between Los Angeles and San Francisco in an insanely fast half hour. It might be the futuristic transport system of the moment. Yet it’s the billionaire’s other ventures, like SpaceX and Tesla Motors, that continue to make real technological strides.
Continue reading… “Tesla’s Model S factory is run by 160 high-tech robots”
The cost of pollution in India: $80 billion a year
Air pollution in India
The World Bank has released a report that says pollution and other environmental degradation costs India $80 billion a year, nearly six percent of gross domestic product.
Continue reading… “The cost of pollution in India: $80 billion a year”
How much does it really cost to die? You might be surprised
Funeral costs have increased a staggering 827 percent in the last 50 years.
Une Belle Vie has released this helpful infographic on the true cost of death. The infographic illustrates how much funerals, memorials, cremations and other death care options costs have risen from 1960 to 2010. It also provides the breakdown cost between burials and cremations and their impact on the environment. (Infographic)
Continue reading… “How much does it really cost to die? You might be surprised”
At 95 will your mind still be sharp? Chances are improving all of the time: Study
As we approach old age, on average, we should arrive in better shape mentally than any previous generation.
As we approach 100-years-old our bodies might still be (sort of) working, but many wonder whether their minds will be sharp enough to appreciate life.
Surprises are the new normal, resilience is the real skill
Resilience is the ability to recover from fumbles or outright mistakes and bounce back.
How someone handles is losing is the difference between a winner and a loser. That’s a key finding between great companies and effective leaders: no one can completely avoid troubles and potential pitfalls are everywhere, so the real skill is the resilience to climb out of the hole and bounce back.
Continue reading… “Surprises are the new normal, resilience is the real skill”
Natural gas will replace coal as king, not renewables
Many environmentalists and clean energy supporters cheered when President Obama announced his proposal to limit carbon emissions on existing power plants. But the plan will take years, at the least, to put into action, and perhaps longer — if the power industry has its way.
Continue reading… “Natural gas will replace coal as king, not renewables”